‘The Newsroom’ Season 3: Will HBO and Aaron Sorkin Decline Another Year?

HBO's 'The Newsroom' has been mired in controversy and debate from its very inception, whether by Aaron Sorkin's tense relationship with the media, or the uneven reception of the series itself. Most critics have come to consensus that the still-airing second season has marked a significant step forward, but are HBO or Sorkin himself dragging their feet on a third season renewal?

Questions over 'The Newsroom' season 3 arise from BuzzFeed, noting that only two episodes remain in the shortened second season, whereas HBO tends to announce renewal decisions much earlier into a yearly run. Last year, HBO renewed both 'True Blood' and 'The Newsroom' in one shot, the latter after airing only two episodes.

So, what's the hold-up then? BuzzFeed reached out to HBO reps, who could only offer that “We are actively involved in conversations with Aaron about a Season 3,” though Sorkin's representation reportedly had no comment. Back in late July, HBO president Michael Lombardo seemed more optimistic about a renewal, saying:

The odds are excellent, we’re enormously happy with the show. Conversations with Aaron Sorkin are all about scheduling as he he has other commitments. If we can figure the scheduling, I will be shocked if you would not be hearing about a renewal soon. The numbers this season are surpassing last season.

Admittedly, Sorkin told press earlier in the year that the stress of writing had gotten to him somewhat in the second season, while production experienced its own headache as Sorkin requested costly reshoots of early season episodes that saw the season 2 order reduced to 9 hours. The cuts seem to have omitted any role comedian Patton Oswaltwas to have in the season, while other aspects (cough, Maggie's hair) seem to have fallen victim to continuity issues.

Sorkin also has his film career to tend to, so while HBO likely wouldn't proceed on 'The Newsroom' season 3 without the creator's direct involvement, several options merit potential. NBC's 'The West Wing' moved forward (if you can call it that) without Sorkin's guiding hand, while HBO itself has a history of working seasons around the schedules of its talent, as tended to be the case in later years of 'The Sopranos.'

We'd certainly want to see 'The Newsroom' given a third chance next summer, but what say you? Has Sorkin's experiment in hindsight journalism drama failed? Check out two clips from next Sunday's "Election Night, Part 1" below, and give us your thoughts on future 'Newsroom' in the comments!